Below are a sample of books I consider critical to understanding the big picture of equity issues in education. Some are older, some are newer. All are valuable contributions to educational discourse.

Recommended books

The New Jim Crow by Michelle AlexanderThis text is about the rebirth of the caste system in the US. It describes how the penal system functions to suppress the very rights it's supposed to uphold. I give this text 3 stars. It certainly brings to light a serious issue in a coherent, if repetitive, way. Inequality for All: The Challenge of Unequal Opportunity in American Schools by Schmidt & McKnightThis text is one I use in my Diversity and Equity in Education course. I find it to be an excellent depiction of students' variable opportunities to learn depending solely on their neighborhood of residence. This book is written clearly and follows a very logical argument: Our students are tracked from the moment their parents choose a house. 5 stars.

Private Enterprise and Public Education by Hess and HornChallenging the notion that for-profit educational organizations inherently degrade the quality and access to public education, the editors advocate for the positive contributions that for-profits have to offer American education while simultaneously acknowledging their limitations. Debunking the myth that profit comes at the expense of students, parents and society, Hess and Horn level the debate to give privatization a chance in the minds of the American people. (Review by J. Jacob Kirksey) 5 stars.Education Governance for the Twenty-First Century by Manna & McGuinnThis is a must read for anyone interested in education policy. It walks through the many layers of educational decision-making in the U.S. With an eye toward testing and finances, the authors do a good job mapping the problem and using international comparisons to make suggestions. The readability is a bit difficult if you don't have a policy or economic background, but doable. 3.5 stars. The School Reform Landscape by Tienken & OrlichThis 2013 text does a good job mapping the history of education reform and the major political and economic events sparking reform efforts. The tone is a bit abrasive and the authors would have done well to at least try to sound less biased. They speak so negatively about NCLB and CCSS that it's hard to determine if their evidence against policies is valid or a result of scholarly anger. Still, this book is great for my Ed Reform and Ed Policy courses. 4 stars. Savage Inequalities by Jonathan KozolThis is a classic text with an updated 2012 edition. I've linked to the original 1991 edition because it tells a story that is just as applicable today. Despite the numbers being outdated, the themes of discrimination and poverty are as true today as they were then. This personalized perspective of education certainly gets 5 stars. A Hope in the Unseen by Ron SuskindThis is a novel (less academic than other texts here) about a black male student from Washington DC who despite social, economical and structural barriers makes it to Brown University. Through a true life story, Suskind describes the day to day struggles many urban students encounter on their road to success. 5 stars. NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children by Bronson & MerrymanIf I ranked students' feedback about texts, this one would be at the top of the list. These funny, real-life stories about child rearing are told with a backdrop of empirical psychological research. It is readable and informative for even those who are not parents. 5 stars.

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